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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · bulb · straw · object · prune · tube · net · wax

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. object — a thing
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. object — an aim
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — after costs
  15. tube — a container
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bulb — for light
  20. object — to protest
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com